The high level of COVID-19 transmission in the community, together with the possibility of breakthrough cases in people who are vaccinated, is requiring Nebraska Medicine to revise its guidance of which procedural patients need to be tested in advance. This guidance goes into effect Wednesday, Sept. 22.
Nebraska Medicine will continue its process for testing patients who are not vaccinated.
Patients who are vaccinated and scheduled for surgeries and procedures requiring moderate or deep sedation/analgesia, monitored anesthesia or general anesthesia, will follow this testing guidance to determine the need for COVID-19 testing. This testing guidance does not apply to procedures requiring only local anesthetic, minimal sedation or both.
"There are many other procedures that do not require anesthesia or moderate/deep sedation," said Sue Nuss, PhD, chief nursing officer and member of the PPE and Lab Testing Committee. "Many of these procedures will not require pre-procedure testing due to low risk and adequate infection prevention strategies. At this time, capacity for universal testing does not exist, therefore further guidance is necessary to guide COVID-19 testing and PPE use for low-risk procedures among asymptomatic patients."
For more resources and testing locations for surgery patients, visit our Perioperative and Procedural COVID-19 site.